


Dear Jim, Please Will You Fix It For Me

by Miss_Molliarty



Series: Unexpected Affections [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-22
Updated: 2011-10-22
Packaged: 2017-10-24 20:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/267803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Molliarty/pseuds/Miss_Molliarty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Molly meets someone unexpected at work after feeling rejected, yet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dear Jim, Please Will You Fix It For Me

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before I found the canon BBC Blog for Molly Hooper in which Jim from IT asks her to join him for coffee. This is just an alternate take on their first encounter.

_Silent as a bloody cat he is, sneaking up on me like that._ That's what Molly was thinking as she chucked a tube of lipstick into her purse by her desk. It hadn't worked the first time, why should it work a second time? Even after he, Sherlock Holmes, had complimented her yet again to get exactly what he wanted, she thought that maybe he would actually want to talk to her, like friends, or perhaps more than friends. Hardly. This time it had been flattery on her hairstyle and just like before, it was like that man had put a spell on her. Molly was always in her right mind approaching him, but when coming face to face with the Consulting Detective it was like all her resolve vanished without a trace and she became someone else entirely. She would become someone who would do just about anything for him, and Molly both loved and hated that feeling.

It wouldn't be surprising to her if he was some sort of warlock, what with his easy attractiveness - the dark careless hair and pretty eyes, the posh voice that Molly could listen to all day if she had the chance. Wasn't that the way warlocks would do it? Put you under a spell with some false sense of security only to lead you to your doom? Or at least the kind of let down she'd become accustomed to. The time before, in a string of many, was about a week before when she had finally mustered up the courage to ask him to have coffee with her, just one coffee, and he took it as if she was his personal secretary or the like. Of course, with a crooked smile and a thank you from him, any elaboration she had meant to express dissipated into a shallow, squeaky 'okay'. And like the fool for him that she had been, and still was apparently, she brought him his ruddy coffee! Sherlock’s cat-like eyes, that never missed a detail, spotted that she had removed the lipstick she’d applied prior to her proposal of coffee.

"No more expensive lipstick, chemist lip gloss from now on." She whispered, settling at her desk to distract herself with some real work instead of thinking about Sherlock Holmes, who had just left. All he wanted was to see the feet of two bodies she had _just_ finished processing and without a word he took off with a detective she hadn't recognized. Even after he was gone, his spell still lingered, making Molly grin at the prospect, and then quickly feeling angered at both Sherlock and herself. "Flattering arse!" She let a file fall into her inbox a little too hard, her anger fading, and was startled into a squeak when she heard a voice coming from the direction of her computer tower.

"Sorry, didn't think I was coming on that strongly."

Jim, the new personnel from IT, came out from under her large desk and scratched the back of his head shyly while Molly was left covering her upper chest to slow her heart after the surprise.

"No, no... I didn't mean you, I ... never mind. Have I botched it up again?" She asked with a wince and cursed at herself for letting Sherlock distract her so badly that she had completely forgotten about Jim, who had been fixing her computer for the third time that week. "Sorry to be giving you such a trying time, must be the first week from hell." Molly looked away, her cheeks darkening from embarrassment, figuring she seemed a dimwit with computers to him.

“No trouble at all, and it‘s not hell Molly.” Jim smiled, cleared his throat and fidgeted, leaning one hand on her desk. “Looks like you’ll need a new network card. I can get it installed today if you don’t need to use your computer for a bit?”

“Oh, of course, right… I have some bodies out so, yes. Work your magic.” Molly said with a quiet giggle and an ‘oh god’ under her breath, realizing she sounded like a ninny and chalked it up to the Sherlock after-effect. “I’ll be back in a mo.” They smiled at each other and Molly backed away and went off to put the bodies that were just processed away once again.

Molly entered the mortuary, let out a long breath and gazed at the two bodies, contemplating the process she’d have to go through all over again, just because Sherlock liked her new hairstyle. “He liked my hairstyle…” she said to herself, zipping up the body bags and then immediately gave herself a harsh ‘tsk’ for being so easily manipulated. “Piss it!” she said rather loudly and stamped her foot on the cold tile flooring. She often wondered why she would chastise herself so, only to become wistful and even a little bit hopeful a moment later. She knew deep inside that there was only a sliver of a chance that Holmes might one day acknowledge her existence as a woman without needing something in return. Only trouble was, she was infatuated, and she knew it. More likely was that Sherlock knew she was infatuated with him as well, he saw everything. No wonder he would always come to her when he needed something. Every time he would waltz in and leave just as quickly in a flourish of wool coat and dashing cashmere scarf, all she could see behind her eyelids was Sherlock’s piercing gaze.

“Bugger all.” She said quietly, sadly, before shutting the door to the mortuary and made her way back to the desk where she found Jim, typing away at her computer. For a split second before he turned to greet her, Molly could have sworn that the new tech was looking at the visitor schedule for the mortuary until he quickly closed the window and beamed at her. Jim must have only been testing that all the connections were up and running again.

“Good as new. Just don’t make a habit of busting it up anymore, you’ll make me think you’re doing it on purpose just to talk to me.” Jim laughed awkwardly at his own joke and watched Molly as she logged into her profile for St. Bart’s intranet.

“I’ll do my best. Thank you for fixing it.” It was apparent that she sounded a bit out of sorts, in her mind Molly was still giving herself grief for being so hung up on Sherlock Holmes. So much so that she had to ask Jim to repeat what he had just said. “Sorry, come again?” A small smile crossed Molly’s face in apology.

“I was wondering if you’d like to grab a pint after work?”

A stunned, gaping silence was her answer until Jim’s words finally registered. “I’m sorry, what? A pint?”

“Yea, a pint, with me, after work at The Fox?” Jim bit his lip and laughed nervously. “Only if you want to, it was just an idea. Thought we could get to know each other better.”

Molly probably wasn’t being very helpful or encouraging because she did not expect to get asked out and therefore didn’t answer at first. She never got asked out on dates, she was too busy with her work and pining for unattainable men, well _one man_ in particular. Jim was attractive in his own way. He had an intense look about him at times when he thought no one was looking, like he had a totally different personality when he was concentrating on his work. He was fit too, took good care of himself and he was always particularly nice to her even when she’d bungled something up on her computer and forgotten what to do to fix it. Molly was not used to being the one sought after.

“Sure. I would like that very much. I’m off at six, I can meet you there.”

Jim flashed Molly a goofy beaming smile and clapped his hands together as he backed away, bumping into another desk in the process. “Great! Oooh, oops… alright then, I’ll see you later. Don’t forget now.” He said, somewhat too eagerly and wagging a finger at her with a ‘just-kidding’ head shake following.

“I won’t.”

Molly waved and bit at her lip. That whole scenario seemed odd to her and caused her mind race to make sense of it. She stupidly wished that Sherlock had been around to see their little play-by-play. Sherlock would’ve analyzed the conversation to within an inch of its short life. Molly thought better of her previous thought because she hated when Sherlock would analyze everything just to prove that he was clever. They all knew, he only did it to annoy them all. “Well at least _someone_ wants to go and have a drink with me.” Molly permitted herself to anticipate the evening ahead and continued with her work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of Molly’s day went on as it normally would and she was able to finish in time to pop off to the loo and freshen up before heading over to The Fox to meet Jim for a drink. The Fox was the local pub that most of the hospital employees would frequent after a long day to blow off steam or to socialize. Molly had never been, that is to say, she had never been invited. She looked in the mirror, fixed her hair and put on a sweep of blush as she looked drained under the fluorescent lights in the hospital bathroom. She didn’t put any lipstick on, she’d had it with the damnable lipstick and Jim didn’t seem to mind that she hadn’t been wearing any.

The pub was dark but she could spot Jim at a booth, looking back and forth at the goings on of the bar before catching her eyes. She instantly felt out of place in the pub as she didn’t have time to change and still had her work clothes on, minus the lab coat of course. They would’ve mistaken her for the Health Inspector otherwise. It was a short walk to the booth and most of the time Molly was staring at her shoes not really believing she was on a date. She hardly knew Jim, he seemed a nice enough fellow but, Molly guessed that’s what he meant by getting to know each other better.

“Hi, I made it.” She said a little out of breath, taking a seat opposite Jim.  
“I was beginning to get worried you wouldn’t come.”  
“Oh! Am I terribly late?” She looked at her watch and it was barely after six. “I’m sorry. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”  
“No no… I was being paranoid all afternoon. Maybe you thought I was being too forward. But you’re here and I’m glad.”

Their drinks came and Molly was presented with a glass of chardonnay that Jim had ordered for her before she had arrived. “I took the liberty, I hope you don’t mind.”  
“Thank you. This is just what I would’ve ordered. You’re very perceptive.” Immediately she took a sip, thinking some of her nerves would wash away with a bit of wine in her system.

The rest of the night was pleasant and the more they talked, the more Molly came to like Jim. He was funny and told lots of amusing stories. They talked of how he had just moved to London and how he was enjoying his job in the IT department at the hospital. Sometimes when he would tell her the antics he got up to with his mates in Uni, he would use altered voices and act out expressions. She was having a wonderful time with him. After the second glass of chardonnay it had occurred to Molly that she had started babbling on about the mortuary and people she worked with, and then she got to talking about the one person she was trying to forget about all night.

“I’m sorry, I’m just going on and on about some random man you haven’t even met. Not a very good date am I?” As if to give herself a hint, she pushed the wine glass away and held her hand up, saying she was done.  
“No, please. It’s fine. You work with the bloke and it must get pretty exciting and all.”  
“How do you mean?” She didn’t think it was very exciting, getting duped into doing things for Sherlock and then feeling a bit, used and stupid afterwards. Jim seemed absorbed when she would talk about Sherlock. Anyone else might presumably feel jealous or cheated if his date was going on about another man.  
“Well, in a way, if it wasn’t for you, and your help in the lab, he wouldn’t be able to help others now would he?”  
“I suppose. I hadn’t thought of it like that before.” She could feel a warmth spreading across her face, despite a nagging thought of _’he would just find some other pretty lab assistant to butter up instead’ _.  
“Don’t sell yourself short Molly. You’re obviously very good at what you do. I don’t suppose he’s the type of person to rely on anyone but the best to help him.” Jim had a crooked, reassuring smile just as he reached across the table to take Molly’s hand and give it a quick squeeze. Only after, he didn’t let go.__

Molly only smiled and shook her head at the less-obvious flattery she was given. They talked a while longer until it got late and the wine had gone to her head.

“Would you like me to hail you a cab?” Jim asked as they walked outside the pub, Molly supposed their date was over but in all honesty, she really didn’t want it to be.  
“Actually, I just live round the corner, I was going to walk.”  
“Then, allow me to escort you to your door. Lots of undesirables lurking in dark corners at this time of night.” Jim flashed a quick wink and they both laughed at the old-fashioned nature of his request.

“By the way…” He began as they strolled along, it was getting chilly and the tip of his nose was growing pink, as were her cheeks. “… I like your hair.”  
“What?” She was taken off guard by the compliment, as she had already been given the same earlier in the day from Sherlock.  
“Your hair, it looks nice off to the side like that.”  
“Th-thank you.” Offhandedly, again, she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, that he wanted something now. But afterward, he only offered Molly his arm, and she gladly accepted.

It wasn’t a long walk to Molly’s flat and her nerves had settled by then. She turned slowly and smiled an awkward grin at Jim who was giving her the same. “Well, I have to say, I had a nice time. Thank you for inviting me out.” She tucked a lock of hair that had blown free in the night breeze behind her ear.

“We could go again if you’re up for it?” Jim said quietly, his more serious side coming through, the one he reserved for when he was working. It made her heart flutter in an odd way, especially when he had moved closer to her. “Friday evening?”  
“I … would say yes but I don’t know what my schedule is like on Friday.” Molly was quiet and admittedly breathless.

“Why don’t I pop by the lab in the afternoon, see how your day is going.” Jim was inches away, his hand lay softly on Molly’s upper arm, she knew what was coming and her heartbeat sped up.

“Okay.” She nodded, her small smile fading when Jim leaned in toward her. It was the softest kiss. Molly was finding Jim full of surprises, she didn’t expect the kiss to go that way, and he wasn’t aggressive in the slightest. She felt free to lean in and return it in kind. There was no way she would be inviting him in, Molly wasn’t that kind of girl, but no harm ever came from a little snogging. Jim’s hands were warm on her cheeks, and then one on her neck. The wound up twined together, not urgently, but naturally. His mouth was warm and he tasted of the dark, sweet ale he’d had at the pub, but something sweeter and more inviting behind it.

The synapses of her brain were firing off quickly, and luckily, the thought of how it might be if she were kissing Sherlock on her porch at night was a fleeting one. If Molly allowed herself to linger on that one thought, she might have seen a more passionate version of herself, one that may have led to inviting the freelance Detective in for the night. But the thought had been gone even before she realized it had been born.

They parted after a minute or so, her face pink and warm. When Molly opened her eyes, she saw Jim’s eyes mirroring hers. She was unnerved at first until the sharpness of them, but they softened when he pulled away.

“I’ll see you Friday then?” Jim kissed her one last time and backed away towards the steps.  
“Yes, Friday.”  
“Brilliant.” With a quick wink and a contradicting goofy smile, he was off and Molly’s knees were slightly weak. He was already walking away with a quiet, knowing expression on his face.

Molly got into her flat and dropped her keys on the side table, still in a daze while she removed her jacket. She was happy, giddy really. Molly laughed quietly and thought of Jim as she prepared for bed. “He liked my hairstyle.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Molly had looked out her window, she would see Jim, thoughtfully staring up at her window until the light was extinguished. His head worked back and forth, stretching the muscles in his neck. Jim’s face was expressionless but for a twitch at the corner of his mouth that slowly transformed into a crooked smile. He walked backwards a few steps before turning to stroll down the dimly lit street, hands in his pockets and whistling a low tune.


End file.
